Best preparation for afterschooling success?

[Nart]

I am looking ahead to afterschool my ds who is 4. He missed the kinder cut-off date by two days (thankfully, because I would have held him back anyways), so we have around 18 months before entering public school K. I have been reading the afterschooling posts and it seems like it helps for a child to be at least a bit accelerated in order to afterschool. For example, if a child is struggling to complete their homework, there will be little time left to afterschool. On the other hand if a child is accelerated, it seems that some teachers will accept some afterschooling work as their homework. My public school uses Everyday Math so I just bought Right Start A and Singapore EB. I figured it was either start teaching him math at home or plan on paying 100 dollars a month for the math program at a Kumon Center. Additionally, we are slowly working through 100 EZ lessons for 15 minutes a day. I figure if I add in math 3 times a week for 15 minutes as well, he will be really prepared for K and it will be easier to afterschool. Any advice? What has worked best for your afterschoolers?
Thanks,
Jen

[fairytalemama]

When does he turn 5? I seriously wouldn't fret about it too much. I tried pushing doing reading, writing, and math when my daughter was 4 and she pushed back HARD. She just wasn't ready to focus like that. Once she turned 5, we started doing The Ordinary Parent's Guide to teaching reading a couple of times a week and played some Rightstart card games. All told we probably spent 30 minutes a week.

I am glad that I backed off. She's much more willing to cooperate now at nearly age 6. Her school does not have much homework for K. There's an occasional writing practice worksheet that comes home, but that's it. I'm expecting a little more in 1st, but still under 30 minutes.

If he's enjoying the reading instruction, keep at it. If he's agreeable to doing 10-15 minutes of math a few days a week, do it. But if at any time he doesn't want to do it, I advise just waiting a few weeks (or even months) before trying again. The last thing you want to do is make it a chore at such a young age. Be sure to play and have fun a lot too! These years are so short...

[Heigh Ho]

Sounds like a good plan for the math.

My advice is to enrich the day. Go on those nature hikes, garden, make mazes, learn to ID birds, sort socks, enjoy triking, making things from found objects, digging in the sandbox, cloud watching, leaf id, playing board and card games, building block towers and citiies with the matchbox type cars and plastic army guys or lego people, admiring his artwork, his lego creations, etc. That will give you the opportunity to develop the observation and thinking skills that the school won't be able to do.

Aside from reading books, also work on communication skills...tell stories to each other, read stories, make journals with sketches and so forth of your hikes and field trips occasionally, etc. Use codes.

For you, read Liping Ma's book when you have a chance and learn about the development of math and thinking skills. Things like this:
http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/ECAM.html are informative. Highlights Magazine is useful too.

[Sara R]

You're on the right track. It's important to be ahead of the curve on reading and math, assuming you can do so without stressing your kid out. 15 minutes a day of reading lessons is terrific, and those math programs are good. I used both of those on my kids at that age.

You might also consider a gentle introduction to writing, when your child starts to show the skills. Teachers don't generally instruct the students how to form their letters, and even if they do they can't police 20-30 students while they form letters. So you're in a better position to do so. So when your child is ready, either get a handwriting book and have them follow it (with you watching over their shoulder to make sure they develop correct habits), or write some letters yourself with a highlighter and have them trace it. That option is nice for their name and things they like to learn to write at that age like "I love you."

Science and stories are nice if you can fit it in, but schools usually do a good job of teaching those. I liked to focus on things the skills they might not learn at school.

[BabyBre]

You're on the right track. It's important to be ahead of the curve on reading and math, assuming you can do so without stressing your kid out. 15 minutes a day of reading lessons is terrific, and those math programs are good.

:iagree: Great programs, and a great idea to keep ahead of EM. As he gets a couple years older, you'll really start to see the benefit of teaching him more concrete methods before he learns the EM methods.


You might also consider a gentle introduction to writing, when your child starts to show the skills. Teachers don't generally instruct the students how to form their letters, and even if they do they can't police 20-30 students while they form letters.

That's a great point. Teachers with 20-30 students can't possibly monitor each child for proper letter formation. It's not possible. Help your son practice a proper pencil grip and letter formation before he gets to school and forms poor habits.

[Nart]

Thanks for all the advice. I figure my son is pretty lucky because I am a big believer in learning through play, so asking him to settle down for 15 minutes for reading and perhaps another 15 minutes later in the day three times a week for math wouldn't be too much to ask. I am fortunate that he is in a play-based, completely non-academic pre-school that emphasizes outdoor play, nature walks, music, cooperative skills, puzzles, listening to books, etc. For example, it was a warm, sunny day today so they let the kids play with dirt, shovels, buckets and water in an attempt to build a little river and dam. Then they experimented with what objects would float. He went through two changes of play clothes today, but he is learning so much through play so I don't mind all the laundry.

I wanted to introduce some math after reading Liping Ma's book and reading about so many great math programs. I wanted to start on the earlier side because I am hoping to start RS A this week and I hope we will eventually have time to do some work with MEP and Miquon before moving over to Singapore Math.

I would love to do some handwriting activities so I bought the Pre-K and K HWT program. However, he does not have a dominant hand yet, so we are holding off on any writing activities until he eventually decides if he will be a righty or a lefty. I bought the CD and the wooden pieces so we have made Mat Man and sung about starting our letters at the top as we hold the wooden pieces. Since I have found this forum a couple of months age, I think I have spent 300 dollars, but hopefully it will all be worth it.
Jenn

[Spy Car]

It sounds like you are definitely on the right path.

You are wise IMO to be ahead for exactly the reasons you state. There are playful and developmentally appropriate ways to teach things like math and you have hit on all the programs for this age that are most conducive to this approach. We mixed Miquon, MEP, Singapore, and RS elements at that age in a playful fashion and it really worked nicely.

Bill

[aly9712]

Ditto what everyone else says. I think one of the best things we did was just to get out everyday and experience life. We did lots of programs at museums, nature centers, daily library story hour, music classes, etc. I think all those things in combination with maybe 1.5 hours (maybe 45 mins in morning, another in evening) focusing on the 3 R's would be great. Enjoy!